Setting Up PeopleSoft Program Management Business Units

This chapter provides overviews of PeopleSoft Program Management setup and project charging levels, and discusses how to establish program management business unit options.

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding PeopleSoft Program Management Setup

PeopleSoft Program Management uses project business units that you set up in the Project Costing Business Unit Definition component (PC_BU_DEFN) when you implement PeopleSoft Project Costing. You can establish default values for PeopleSoft Program Management for each of the project business units. The default values appear on new projects that you create for the business unit. You can overwrite many of the business unit default values at the project and activity levels.

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Project Charging Levels

This section provides overviews of project charging levels, the project charging level effect on PeopleSoft applications, and time report charging levels.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicProject Charging Levels

Managing projects involves planning and managing activity work breakdown structures (WBSs) to ensure the successful, timely completion of projects. Project accounting involves tracking project costs against the cost breakdown structure, which is represented by project ChartFields. The level of WBS detail that you use for planning and managing projects might not be the appropriate level for tracking project costs. For example, the project manager might want to plan and track the progress of detailed activities; however, the project accountant might want to track and record costs at an aggregate level.

In PeopleSoft Program Management, you can use different levels of the WBS for project management and accounting by defining the WBS level at which you want to track project budgets, forecasts, and costs. You can specify a project charging level of WBS level 1, level 2, or level 3, and the system restricts charges to summary and detail activities that are in the specified level. You can also specify a project charging level of all detail activities, in which case you can capture costs on detail activities, but not on summary activities—regardless of an activity's WBS level. You can set up a default WBS level by business unit, which users can override when they create projects. WBS levels are defined on the Project Costing Options page.

You can modify a project's charging level from all detail activities to WBS level 1, 2, or 3 for projects that are in a pending processing status. If you change the project charging level to a WBS level, and you previously entered budget transactions against a detail activity that is no longer in the specified charging level, an error message appears, indicating that budget details exist for activities that are outside the project charging level. You cannot finalize a budget plan that has budget transactions for activities that are outside the project charging level.

This diagram illustrates the activities that are available for charging based on the project charging level. In each example, the red vertical bars align with the activities to which to you charge:

Project charging level example

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicProject Charging Level Effect on PeopleSoft Applications

This table lists PeopleSoft Project Costing pages and processes that are affected by the project charging level:

PeopleSoft Project Costing Pages

Project Charging Level Impact

Budget Plan

You can finalize a budget when all summary budget amounts are distributed to budget items and periods for activities that are in the project charging level.

Budget Details

You can create budget entries and distribute project estimates only to activities that are in the project charging level. Activities down to and including the specified charging level are available for selection on this page.

When you use the Get Plan feature to create budget details based on activity resources, if resource assignments exist on activities that are in a lower WBS level than the project charging level (a level in the WBS hierarchy that is more indented (deeper) than the current level), the system rolls the resource costs up to the project charging level for project budgets.

You cannot create budget details for resources that are assigned to activities that are in a higher WBS level than the project charging level.

Budget vs. Actual

Only activities that are in the project charging level appear on this page for you to evaluate.

Create Project from Microsoft

You can select the project charging level and time report charging level for new projects that you create from Microsoft Project.

Microsoft Integration Options

You can select an option to import the entire detailed WBS for a project from Microsoft Project or import the WBS that contains only the project charging level activities.

Microsoft Integration Options and Project Activities

The project charging level controls when you can indent or outdent an activity to a different WBS level. You can move activities out of the project charging level to different WBS levels if no transaction rows exist for the activities in these tables:

  • Project Transactions Summary (PC_ACTIVITY_SUM)

  • Transactions Interface (INTFC_PROJ_RES)

  • Project Activity Team Member (PROJ_ACT_TEAM)

  • Project Costing Assets (PC_AM_PROJ_DEFN)

  • Project Budget Items (PC_BUD_ITEM)

  • Contract Line Project Details (CA_DETAIL_PROJ)

  • Forecast Time Detail (FC_TIME_DTL)

Project Costing Definition and Project Costing Options

You determine the number of WBS levels on the Project Costing Options page. You cannot enforce the expense time report security using activity resource pools if the project charging level is set to an activity costing level.

The project charging level also affects project integration with other PeopleSoft applications. For example:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicTime Report Charging Levels

If you use PeopleSoft Expenses, you can enter time reports for all detail activities, or specify the level of activities on the work breakdown structure (WBS) for which you want to capture time against a project. The level at which you capture costs for a project can be different from the level at which you report time in PeopleSoft Expenses.

This table lists the functionality for different combinations of project charging-level options and time-report charging-level options:

Project Charging Level Option

Time-Report Charging Level Option

Functionality

All Detail Activities

All Detail Activities

Select a project charging level of All Detail Activities to enter transactions on all detail activities (nonsummary), regardless of the WBS level of the activity.

When you select this project charging level, the system selects a time-report charging level of All Detail Activities, and time report transactions are recorded in PeopleSoft Expenses and sent to PeopleSoft Project Costing at the detail activity level.

Activity Costing Level

All Detail Activities

If you capture activity costs at the project charging level and enter time reports for all detail activities:

  • PeopleSoft Expenses records time report transactions for any detail activity.

  • During the PeopleSoft Expenses integration, the system summarizes detail transactions to the project charging-level parent activity, and sends the data to the Project Transaction table (PROJ_RESOURCE).

  • The Project Transaction table retains the original detail activity ID from the time report as a nonkey attribute.

Note. The system calculates the amount of actual work completed from detail activities that reside in the Project Transactions table and displays the information on the Resources by Activity page. Even if you capture costs at the project charging level, the Project Transactions table retains the time report activity detail that you enter at the detail level.

Activity Costing Level

Activity Costing Level

Note. You select this time report charging option by deselecting the All Detail Activities check box in the Charging Level for Time Report group box.

Select a project charging level of Activity Costing Level to restrict project charging to one specified level of the WBS—level 1, 2, or 3.

Select a time report charging level of Activity Costing Level to charge time only to summary and detail activities that reside in the specified project charging level.

Note. If you charge time reports only at the project charging level, the Project Transactions table will not contain the time report activity detail. Therefore, the actual work calculation for detail activities that are at a lower WBS level than the project charging level are not available on the Resources by Activity page.

Click to jump to parent topicEstablishing PeopleSoft Program Management Business Unit Options

To set up business unit options, use the Program Management Options component (PGM_BUS_UNIT_OPT).

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicPages Used to Establish PeopleSoft Program Management Business Unit Options

Page Name

Definition Name

Navigation

Usage

Program Management Options

PGM_PROG_MGMT_OPT

Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Program Management, Business Unit Options, Program Management Options

Define business unit options. You can specify program management options, designate the enterprise program tree, and establish various default settings for specific business units.

Health Options

PGM_BU_HLTH_OPT

Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Program Management, Business Unit Options, Health Options tab

Specify default project health options.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Business Unit Options

Access the Program Management Options page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Program Management, Business Unit Options, Program Management Options).

Enterprise Program Tree

The system uses the enterprise program tree to establish the relationships among all programs and projects that are within the business unit. You do not need to create and maintain enterprise program trees if the organization does not need to create a hierarchy of programs and detail projects for analysis and organization. However, if you want to take full advantage of the ability of PeopleSoft Program Management to create programs as umbrellas for detailed projects and other programs for the purposes of management, reporting, and analysis, you must maintain at least the programs and projects that you want to be able to analyze in the tree. Although you are not required to do so, you should enter and maintain all projects and programs in an enterprise program tree for maximum control, organizational clarity, and reporting sophistication with respect to the projects and programs.

Tree Name

Select an enterprise tree or enter the name of a new tree, and click the Initialize Enterprise Tree button. This is the enterprise tree that is associated with the selected business unit.

Initialize Enterprise Tree

Click to create a new enterprise program tree for the business unit. You must enter the name of the new tree in the Tree Name field before you can initialize the tree.

See Establishing and Maintaining Enterprise Program Trees.

Project Request

Calendar ID

Select the calendar to use for project requests that are within the selected business unit. This calendar determines the periods and years into which users can enter project request costs and benefits. The calendar that you specify should contain entries for years as far into the future as you anticipate that users will forecast benefits and returns on any given request. For instance, if the organization intends to use project requests to approve capital requests for large-scale assets such as land and buildings, you are likely to need 30 or more future years' worth of entries set up in the calendar that you specify.

Note. Avoid using daily detail calendars for project requests because such calendars result in many rows of data. Instead, use monthly calendars (preferred), or if you need more details for budgeting purposes, use weekly calendars.

Change Control Template

Template

Select a template that defines the default change control settings for projects and activities that are created within the selected business unit.

Add or Modify Templates

Click to access the Change Control Template page, on which you can specify change control attributes for projects, activities, transactions, budget plans, resources, and estimates to complete.

See Controlling Project Changes.

Scheduling Default

Select an Activity Date Cascade Calculations option to determine how the system rolls up start and end dates on summary activities.

Manual

Select to manually enter the start date, end date, and duration for projects on the Project General page and for activities on the Project Activities page. The system does not perform any date calculation.

Delay Calculations Until Save

Select to have the system roll up activity start and end dates to summary activities at save time.

This is the default option in PeopleSoft Program Management.

Realtime Calculations

Select to have the system roll up activity start and end dates to summary activities as soon as you change the detail activity dates.

Note. For optimal performance, do not select this option if you have large work breakdown structures, such as those with greater than 100 activities and four levels.

Hours per Day

Enter the number of hours that define a work day for this business unit. The system uses this field to calculate the duration in days.

Schedule Method

Select the default method for calculating schedules in the business unit. The scheduling method determines what element of a project schedule remains constant when one of the three scheduling variables (work, duration, or units) changes.

Select one of these scheduling methods:

  • Fixed Duration: When a schedule is calculated or recalculated, the variable that remains constant is the total amount of time in which assigned labor resources must complete an activity.

    You should not select this option if you select Duration in the Project Calculation Method or Activity Calculation Method field.

  • Fixed Units: When a schedule is calculated or recalculated, the variable that remains constant is the number of labor resource units that are assigned to an activity.

  • Fixed Work: When a schedule is calculated or recalculated, the variable that remains constant is the total amount of work, measured in hours or days, that assigned labor resources require to complete an activity.

Project Calculation Method and Activity Calculation Method

Select the default method for calculating schedules at the project and activity levels. Select one of these methods:

  • Duration: The duration is determined from the start date and end date that is entered for the project or activity. You should not select this option if you select Fixed Duration in the Schedule Method field.

  • End Date: The end date of the schedule is determined based upon the start date and the duration entered for the project or activity.

  • Start Date: The start date of the schedule is calculated based on the duration and end date that is entered for the project or activity.

Project Calendar

Select a default calendar to use for calculating schedules at the project and activity levels. The system uses this calendar to determine business holidays and nonwork days and to factor them into the calculation of start dates, end dates, and durations. If you use PeopleSoft Resource Management, the system does not schedule resources on project calendar holidays on assignments that are created in PeopleSoft Program Management.

Note. You can override each of these defaults, except for the project request Calendar ID for individual programs and projects.

Forecast Capture

Automatic Forecast Approval

Select to indicate that project managers do not have to approve forecasts to make them accessible to PeopleSoft Program Management for the purposes of time, cost, and revenue forecasts. Deselect the option to indicate that approval is required on the forecast review page before forecasts can be used.

Note. Forecast data is available for utilization calculations, with or without approval.

Forecast Level

Select Project or Project/Activity to indicate the default level at which forecasting is to occur in this business unit for each project.

Warning! If forecasting occurs at the project level, the activity is not required when you enter a forecast. This affects the ability to report forecasts at the activity level. Select Project only if you do not need activity level time, cost, and revenue forecasts.

Standard Rate

Select to determine where the system obtains standard cost rates and bill rates when generating estimates. Project estimates are based on the cost and bill rates that are associated with a job code, resource, or role.

Note. You can override these defaults for individual programs and projects.

Project Charging Level

Select options on this page to establish project charging-level options by default for new projects that you create for the business unit. You can override the business unit default values at the project level, for pending projects only, on the Project General - Program Management page. You can override the business unit default values for new projects that you create from Microsoft Project on the Create Project from Microsoft page.

All Detail Activities

Select to enable users to charge transactions on all detail activities regardless of an activity's WBS level. This is the default project-charging level.

You must select this option if you want to select the Enforce Team option of Project Activity Resource Pool on the Project Costing Options page.

Activity Costing Level

Select a costing level of 1, 2, or 3, to restrict charging to a single costing level of the WBS. Users can charge to both summary and detail activities that reside in the specified costing level. This option is not available if the Enforce Team option on the Project Costing Definition page is Project Activity Resource Pools.

Charging Level for Time Reports

Select All Detail Activities to enable time reporting in PeopleSoft Expenses at the detail level, even though all transactions are entered at the costing level.

Deselect this option to require time reporting at the same costing level as specified for the project.

Note. This group box appears if you use PeopleSoft Expenses and select an activity costing level for the project charging level. If you select All Detail Activities as the project charging level, the system automatically selects All Detail Activities as the time-report charging level.

See Defining Program and Project Defaults.

See Creating PeopleSoft Projects from Microsoft Projects.

Rates

Restrict Rate Types

Select to restrict rate types for named and generic labor resources. Doing so limits the rate types that you can select for cost and bill rates on the Resources and Resources by Activity pages. Additionally, the rate options that are available on the Rate Sets - Target page are based on the rate types that you specify for the project business unit.

If you do not restrict rate types, select the default bill and cost rate types that appear on the Resources and Resources by Activity pages for named resources and generic labor resources.

Bill and Cost (Named Resource)

Select the specific bill and cost rate types that you want to be available when you add a named labor resource to the project or activity team. You can override the default rate type on the Resources and Resources by Activity pages with another rate type.

Available options are:

Custom: Users enter the resource's rate type when they add a resource.

Employee: The system assigns the rate that is set up for the employee on the Rates by Employee page in PeopleSoft Project Costing.

Job Code: The system assigns the rate that is set up for the employee's job code on the Rates by Job Code page in PeopleSoft Project Costing.

Project Role: The system assigns the rate that is set up for the employee's project role on the Rates by Role page in PeopleSoft Project Costing.

Bill and Cost (Generic Resource)

Select the specific bill and cost rate types that you want to be available when you add a generic labor resource to the project or activity team. You can override the default rate type on the Resources and Resources by Activity pages with another rate type.

Available options are Custom and Project Role.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicDefining Health Options

Access the Health Options page (Set Up Financials/Supply Chain, Business Unit Related, Program Management, Business Unit Options, Health Options tab).

Use this page to configure the project and activity health indicators that appear on the Manager Workbench page.

Project Health Default

Select the default method for calculating project health for Project Overall, Schedule, Budget, Resources, Issues, and Risks that are generated in the project business unit. Select from these options:

Note. You can override these defaults for individual programs and projects.

Project Health Criteria

Project Health Indicator

Select one or more default health indicators that the system uses to measure how well a project or activity is doing in this business unit. The health indicators that you select appear on the Manager Workbench and Activity pages.

The indicator options are:

  • Blank (none selected): The health indicator that is on the Manager Workbench page does not appear for any project or activity belonging to the specified business unit.

  • % Risks Without Action Plan: Percentage of project risks that have no action plan for the selected activity on the Manager Workbench page, calculated as (Number of project risks without an action plan ÷ Total number of project risks) × 100.

  • Cost to Budget Variance: The percentage difference between the project's actual and budgeted costs. The system calculates budget health based on the Budget Alert setup. Use the Budget Alerts page to set up the Cost to Budget Variance health indicator.

    See Defining Budget Alert Thresholds.

  • High Issues: The percentage of issues that are of high priority status for the selected project or activity on the Manager Workbench page, calculated as (Number of high issues ÷ Total of all issues) × 100.

  • Overdue Deliverables: The percentage of the activity deliverables that do not meet their deadlines for the selected activity on the Manager Workbench, calculated as (Number of overdue deliverables ÷ Total number of deliverables) × 100.

    Note. This value applies only to activities; you cannot enter a project weight percent.

  • Overloaded Resources: The percentage of resources that are overloaded or need to be rescheduled calculated as (Number of overloaded resources) ÷ (Total number of resources) × 100

  • Schedule: The completion percentage for activities that do not meet their deadlines, calculated as (Number of overdue activities ÷ Total number of activities) × 100.

  • User Defined Indicator: You manually enter the value into this field; the system does not calculate the value.

    Note. You can enter a user-defined indicator only for projects, so no weight is available to calculate overall activity health.

Alert Percent

Enter a numerical value that triggers an alert status (displayed as a red symbol) for the corresponding project health indicator. All project health indicators with calculated percent values that are equal to or higher than the alert percent trigger a red alert status on the Manager Workbench page.

Warning Percent

Enter a numerical value that triggers a warning status (displayed as a yellow symbol) for the corresponding project health indicator. All project health indicators with calculated percent values that are equal to or higher than the warning percent but less than the alert percent trigger a yellow warning status on the Manager Workbench page.

Project Weight Percent

Enter the percent to weigh the health indicator for the project as compared to other health indicators. The system calculates overall project health as the weighted average of the health indicators.

Note. The sum of the project weight percents for all of the project health indicators must total 100 percent.

Activity Weight Percent

Enter the percent to weigh the health indicator for the activity as compared to other health indicators. The system calculates overall activity health as the weighted average of the health indicators.

Note. The sum of activity weight percents for all of the project health indicators must total 100 percent.

Distribute Project Weight

Click to evenly spread 100 percent to the project weight of each health indicator.

Distribute Activity Weight

Click to evenly spread 100 percent to the activity weight of each health indicator.

Note. The health indicators on the Manager Workbench do not appear if you do not set up health criteria for them and you select the Calculated method to determine health for that indicator. A user can override the default method used to calculate project health at the project level. For example, you set the project health defaults at the business unit level to Manual Entry and you do not set up the project health criteria indicators. If a user changes the Project Health Default settings to Calculated for a particular project, the system will not have any project health criteria set up to determine how to calculate the health. Therefore, you should set up project health criteria for each project health indicator at the business unit level.